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POWER OF DIFFERENCE Kate Cooper, Head of Research, Policy & Standards at The Institute of Leadership & Management
discusses its recent research, ‘Workplace neurodiversity: the power of diff erence’(i)
Writing in Business Insider(ii)
recently, Bank of America’s
Chief Information Security
O icer Craig Froelich urged employers
to be more attuned to the experience
of neurodiverse individuals – not just
to harness their talents, but to ensure their needs
are met in the workplace.
Froelich drew comparisons between the sounds of
working at home and those in the o ice, which was
brought to his attention by one of his neurodiverse
colleagues before the COVID-19 pandemic:
“I can hear every conversation of the people on my
floor. I can hear the resistance of your shoes as they
glide against the carpet. I can hear the high-pitched
noise from the ceiling lights. I can hear all the pings
on the computer and all the rings on the phone. I
can hear the building shi• and the wind outside the
double-paned glass. I hear everything.”
Froelich went on to discuss why cybersecurity has
a constant demand for outside-the-box thinking,
pattern recognition, idea generation and problem
solving – all hard-to-find skills that o• en exist among
neurodiverse individuals.
NEURODIVERSITY RESEARCH
ILM’s recent research on workplace shows that it
is vital for organisations to establish a supportive
environment for neurodiverse people. Pattern
recognition, ideas generation and a di erent
approach to problem solving are key identifiers of
the additionality that neurodiverse individuals can
provide, not just in cybersecurity.
The majority of diagnosed autistics, dyspraxics and
dyscalculics who responded to the survey reported
that people in their workplaces behave in ways
that exclude them, with just under half of dyslexics
and people who have ADHD/ADD having similar
experiences.
The private sector seems to be the least friendly
place for neurodivergents. The research indicated
that the third and public sector seem to be more
inclusive places where more neurodivergent people
are employed and where it appears to be more
acceptable to be open about the conditions. Not
being able to bring your true self to work is not
a situation an enlightened employer should find
acceptable. Hiding one’s true self requires energy
and can be anxiety-provoking; energy that would
be better spent on one’s work. Being anxious about
relationships with colleagues adds to the complexity
of collaborating with co-workers.
A key finding from our research is that workplaces
are far less inclusive for neurodivergent people
than neurotypical people believe. The majority of
neurotypicals think their workplace encourages
behaviours that are inclusive of neurodivergent
people, but half or less, of autistics, dyscalculics and
people who have attention deficit disorders (ADHD/
ADD), don’t agree.
REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS
Many neurotypical respondents are confident that
reasonable adjustments for neurodivergents are
made during recruitment and selection processes,
but many autistics, dyscalculics and dyslexics
disagreed. As a result, they are not attracting and
recruiting enough talented neurodivergents because
the processes, not the applicants, are wrong.
A perception gap between what managers think
is happening and how that is experienced by others
in the organisation is a consistent and recurrent
finding, almost irrespective of the issue being
researched. Nevertheless, this research highlights
how detrimental this perception gap can be on the
day-to-day experience of neurodivergents at work.
Although the findings show there are varying levels
of inclusion in di erent sectors, there is a serious
absence of references to neurodiversity in o icial
policies and procedures.
Recruitment and selection processes are crucial in
ensuring that no one fails at the first hurdle. A first
step is to make an explicit statement applications
are welcomed from neurominorities and reasonable
adjustments throughout the selection process are
there for neurodivergent applicants.
The interview process itself, where applicants
are presented with unfamiliar questions, given
little time to formulate responses and where there
are high expectations of eye contact, can cause
underperformance in autistics. The interview is an
artificial situation and one that may not reflect the
everyday role, yet performance in the interview is
still considered to be a predictor of job success. The
use of desk tasks where applicants have time to
provide answers to questions, without the pressure
of in-the-moment expectations, are much closer to
most people’s daily work demands.
Similarly, selection tests that place candidates
under artificial time pressures that they
wouldn’t normally face in the job role can place
neurodivergents at a disadvantage, due to di erent
processing speeds and abilities. Tests requiring high
level of intense focus may disadvantage some people
with ADHD, while others may benefit from this
depending on the profile of their traits.
Tasks requiring rapid word or number processing
can disadvantage dyslexics and dyscalculics, while
those using unfamiliar computers and physical tools
can impair dyspraxics.
Business leaders should look to providing more
unconscious bias and inclusion training for all sta ,
along with ensuring managers are fully aware of the
range of reasonable adjustments that can be made
to support neurodivergent sta . We also recommend
organisations review their policies and procedures
on inclusion, bullying and harassment to ensure
they include provisions for their neurodivergent
colleagues. A fully inclusive workforce is not only
likely to be more innovative and productive but also
more compassionate, an environment that is good
for all employees.
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REFERENCE NOTES
(i) www.institutelm.com/resourceLibrary/workplace-neurodiversity-thepower
of-diff erence.html
(ii) www.businessinsider.com/bank-of-america-ciso-buildingawareness
neurodiversity-2020-10?r=US&IR=T
52 FEBRUARY 2021
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